FIG. 1 illustrates a known portable, lightweight device for carrying out isometric exercise and muscular tests, which is described in greater detail in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,962,569 and 7,448,265 (the disclosure of each of which being hereby incorporated by reference). This apparatus is a handgrip-based dynamometer. Being microprocessor driven, the instrument may be programmed to carry out established diagnostic as well as newly developed grip-based isometric regimens.
When the device of FIG. 1 is employed for carrying out a grip exercise or diagnostic strength test, the diagnostician selects configuration parameters and the instrument provides both visual and audible prompts and cues throughout the procedure. Maximum effort forces of a muscle group for each of the sequence of trials of this procedure may be selected typically by the diagnostician and when so selected are recorded in the instrument memory along with calendar data, and processor-computed values for average grip force, standard deviation of the force values throughout a sequence of tests, and corresponding coefficients of variation. At the termination of the diagnostic procedure, memory recorded test data may be displayable to the diagnostician and may be downloaded through a communications port to a computer facility.
As illustrated in FIG. 1, the instrument or apparatus 110 may have a housing 112 that may be made of an impact resistant material (e.g., acrylonitrile butadiene styrene). FIG. 1 shows that the housing 112 includes a hand grasping portion 114 and an integrally formed interacting portion 116 for visual guidance. Interacting portion 116 supports a readout assembly 118 which is configured as an elongate liquid crystal display (LCD). Two finger-actuable switches 122 and 124 are also located at the interacting portion. Of these switches, switch 122 is designated as a “menu” switch, while switch 124 is designated as a “select” switch. The readout assembly 118 is angularly oriented with respect to the grip axis 126 of the apparatus 110. With this configuration, the user may observe prompts and cues appearing at the readout 118 as represented by the symbolic user eye location 128 and line of sight represented symbolically at arrow 130.
In this example, the hand 132 of the user is grasping the hand grasping portion 114. For the arrangement shown, the hand grasping portion 114 is represented as exhibiting its largest widthwise extent, (e.g., 2⅞ inches). To gain this larger widthwise extent, auxiliary grip components 134 and 136 are employed in conjunction with the hand grasping portion 114. Details relating to these auxiliary grip components can be seen in the above-referenced patents, to be removable as well as universally positionable so as to provide the noted widthwise adjustments in finite increments (e.g., ½ inch increments).
When the instrument of FIG. 1 is used, a protocol is nominated by prescribing nominal parameters of the effort. Each isometric regimen is controlled initially by requiring that a maximum voluntary contraction (MVC) be established for each individual patient or user. Then, the device, user or practitioner may elect parameters of muscular force and timing based on the MVC.
Despite the successes of the device of FIG. 1, the use of this device has been limited for at least two reasons. First, it may only be used for isometric exercises, and further, the device can be difficult to adapt to different body sizes or for uses with other muscle groups such as those in the fingers and thumbs.